Roberts admits to killing

Says he slit Brittany Tavar's throat before dumping body in woods

An argument between Brittany Tavar and Joseph Dean Roberts turned ugly the morning of her scheduled court date on July 7.

It was ugly enough that Tavar wouldn't make it to the courtroom to file a planned restraining order against her neighbor that day.

Roberts, the last person seen with Tavar before her reported disappearance on July 10, faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder after he admitted killing her and hiding her body, according to St. Johns County Sheriff's Detective George Harrigan.

Harrigan and Detective Kip Brantley interviewed Roberts in Seattle on Oct. 13, the day after he was arrested for shoplifting.

Roberts told the detectives that he hit Tavar several times in the head with a hammer and slit her throat after a heated argument the morning of July 7, Harrigan said.

The attack was in Tavar's South Ponte Vedra Beach home in the 100 block of South Beach Drive, shortly before she was due in court to file a permanent restraining order against her neighbor, Ann Richardson.

"He told us that he agreed to help create DVDs for her use as evidence in her civil case," Harrigan said. "The argument started over the DVDs he made."

Roberts was not involved in the civil case in any way, reports show.

Tavar was charged with battery in her home after deputies said she fought there in January 2009 with Richardson. In May, Tavar reportedly was a victim of criminal mischief at the Serenata Beach Club, claiming Richardson threw her video camera in the pool.

On July 7, Richardson showed up in court about the restraining order, but Tavar did not.

Roberts told investigators that he cleaned Tavar's home and, after dark, he left in her dark blue Toyota RAV4 to take her body to the woods off State Road 207. Roberts said he brought a shovel to bury her but had difficultly digging into the terrain, according to investigators.

He told investigators that he took Tavar's two dogs with him to buy him some time.

"He said he knew if he left them behind it would attract attention to the house," Harrigan said. "People who knew her knew she wouldn't leave the dogs alone."

Tavar's dogs were found wandering in a rural area outside Columbia, S.C., over the weekend of July 8. Veterinarians were able to identify the dogs through embedded microchips.

On July 11, Roberts was stopped by police for excessive speed in Evanstown, Wyo., but was let go with a warning. He was seen later that day buying a tent and clothes from a Wal-Mart in Ontario, Ore.

From there, the trail went cold.

Roberts wasn't seen again until he was arrested by Seattle Police for shoplifting on Oct. 12, reports show. Detectives flew to Seattle and were able to interview Roberts by the next evening, Harrigan said.

"He withheld the details and downplayed his story in the beginning," Harrigan said. "But it didn't take long for him to be cooperative and forthcoming."

Detectives interviewed him for less than three hours before learning where Tavar's remains were located.

St. Johns County Sheriff's deputies found the remains on Oct. 14 in a wooded area off S.R. 207 near Lightsey Road. The District 23 Medical Examiner's Office identified the remains as Tavar through dental records and determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma.

"I am confident that we had developed a solid case, and it was only a matter of time of finding him," Harrigan said. "But the fact that he told us the location was closure for the family. There are no unanswered questions now."

Roberts acquaintance: 'Nobody saw this coming'

A woman is shocked to think that the man she knew from the St. Augustine Beach Kangaroo gas station is charged with brutally killing a local woman.

Michelle, who asked that her last name not be used, said she knew Joseph Dean Roberts, the 26-year-old transient arrested in connection with the death of 45-year-old South Ponte Vedra Beach woman, Brittany Tavar, when he worked as a store clerk in 2009.

Michelle said he worked at both Kangaroo gas stations on St. Augustine Beach: one across from the St. Augustine Beach Pier next to Panama Hattie's and another near the Publix shopping plaza at the south end of the beach.

"We would chit-chat all the time," Michelle said. "He was always very quiet but did his job, and no one ever had a problem with him."

Michelle said she delivered USA Today newspapers in the area at the time.

"Nobody saw this coming," she said. "It's weird now 'cause he never said a word about where he was from and what he did outside of work."

Michelle said Roberts rented a room on St. Augustine Beach for a short time from another Kangaroo employee.

A domestic dispute caused him to move and leave his job in the middle of 2009, she said.

TIMELINE

July 6: Tavar last seen pumping gas at a station on Vilano Beach around 9 p.m.

July 7: Tavar misses her court date.

July 10: Tavar's first dog found in Hopkins, S.C. Her second dog was found on the roadside days later in Richland County, S.C.

July 11: Roberts stopped by police in Evanstown, Wyo., for speeding. He was let go with a warning. Hours later, he reportedly used Tavar's credit cards to buy clothes and a tent in Ontario, Ore.

July 21: St. Johns County Sheriff's Office issues an arrest warrant for Roberts on a charge of grand theft auto.

July 22: Investigators alert police in Ocean Shores, Wash., about the possibility of Roberts heading that way. He reportedly had vacationed in that area with his family in the past.

July 26: Roberts is listed as a fugitive on "America's Most Wanted."

July 7: Brittany Tavar's sister, Patricia Bellamah, spends a week in St. Johns County to aid in the investigation.

Aug. 4: A home belonging to Claire Roberts, Joseph Roberts' aunt, was broken into. She told police she "strongly believes" her nephew was responsible.

Aug. 9-16: St. Johns County detectives spend a week in the Pacific Northwest working with local law enforcement and media.

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After reading your posts for the past week I have a couple of questions for you.
1a) Are you really male?
Your anti-male rants reads more like a female victim of domestic violence who has not been able to get out of the situation. If this is the case, please seek help. There are ways out.

1b) If you are really a male, who was it in your family that was a victim?

1c) Also if you are really a male, then you appear to be a caring individual. This being said, your character goes against your antisocial comments. Yes, more men then women are diagnosed as antisocial personality disorder, but that doesn't mean all men are antisocial.
"Antisocial personality disorder appears in 3.6 percent of the adult US population, or approximately 7.6 million people. The condition appears to be more common in men than women, although this may be because the male sociopath is more likely to receive a diagnosis."http://www.healthtree.com/articles/personality-disorders/antisocial/